Carl w



C. W. WEISS.4

GAS ENGINE.

Patented Jan.21,1890.

N. PETERS, Phalulhogmphar. washington. D. C.

(No Model.)

UNITED STATESV PATENT OFFICE.

CARL IV. IVEISS, OF BROOKLYN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO CHARLES KRUSE, OFNEW YORK, N. Y.

GAS-ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 419,806, dated January21, 1890.

Application led May 25, 1889. Serial No. 312,072. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CARL W. I/VEISS, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kingsand State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Gas-Engines; and I do hereby declarethat the following is a full andexact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, making a partof this specication.

-v This invention relates to that class of engines which are driven bythe energy of exploding gases and known as gasmotors, and has for itsbbject to simplify the construction thereof and to increase theirefiiciency by permitting the exploded charge to expand to the utmostbefore it is exhausted, and then cooling it within the cylinder withoutreducing its volume, its expansion, ex-

haust, and the intake of a fresh charge all c being accomplished duringa single revolution of the crank-shaft driven by the piston.

It consists in a novel construction and combination of the several partsof the machine, substantially as hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a central vertical sectionthrough the improved engine in line c :c of 2. Fig. 2 is acentralhorizontal section through the same in line y y of Fig. l, and Figf asectional detail illustrating` a modification in the exhaust-port forthe cylinder.

Similar letters indicate like parts in each of the figures.

A represents the base of the engine; B, the

. crank-shaft mounted in suitable bearings upon one end of said base; C,the workingcylinder mounted to extend out horizontally from the oppositeend of the base, being sccured thereto in the customary manner, D, thepiston working in said cylinder; E, the piston-rod Working through theouter head of the cylinder and attached to asuitable cross-head F,moving in a cylindrical guide F; and G, the pitman coupling saidcrosshead to the crank B on the shaft B.

The working-cylinder C is encircled by a Water-jacket C', which may beeither formed in the casting or by means of an outer casing, and thecylinder is closed at its inner end by a head I-I, formed With a conicalrecess H in its inner face, which enlarges gradually from a centralinlet-port i of comparatively small diameter to the full diameter of theinner periphery of the cylinder. This conical recess serves as theexplosion-chamber for the cylinder. The inletportt` is made tocommunicate by a suitable open passage t" with the inductiomvalvechamber J and with a'suitable igniting device. The induction-valve maybe of any approved form; but, preferably7 itis made to consist of a diskJ', mounted upon and guided by a vertical stem K in position to coverautomatically by its Weight the air and gas inlets m and n, the outerlarger inlet m being made to communicate with the outer air and theinner smaller inlet n with a gas-supply pipe N.

The igniting device consists of a cylindrical rotatin g valve L, mountedto oscillate in a suitable inclosing-casing L. This cylindrical valve Lhas a passage o pierced diametrically through it to register in oneposition of the valve both with a fiame-inlet p and with an oppositeouter vent p in its casing, and has also a second smaller passage 0branching from the diametric passage o to communicate with theinlet-port i of the Working-cylinder when said diametric passage is inregister with the iiame-inlet p. A burner L2 is placed beneath saidinlet p, so as to present thereto a constant flame.

The igniting-valve L is operated in unison with the movements of thepiston D at the proper moment by means of an eccentric L3 on thecrankshaft B, coupled to a rock-arm L4 on'the outer end of the valve.

The piston' D is formed of a hollow cylinder of a length aboutone-third, more or less, that of' the working-cylinder, and having itsouter end, which faces the central inletport for the gases, closed. Acentral cylindrical displacingblock D', of a diameter slightly less thanthe internal diameter of the hollow piston, is mounted at the outer endor head of the piston-cylinder in position to enter the recess in thepiston when the latter attains the end of its stroke in that direction.

4The inner face of the piston is preferably covered, as at l?, with alayer of asbestus or other non-conducting material. Recesses d and d IOOare formed in the inner periphery of the piston-cylinder of a widthembracing about oncfourth, more or less, of its circumference-the one dto extend from the rear end of the cylinder toward the middle for aboutone-third its length, and the other d at about the middle of the lengthof the cylinder for about one-half the length of the first. Freecommunication is established between these two recesses duringa portionof the stroke of the piston through passages d2 and d3, leading fromeach to a cylindrical rotating valve R, mounted in the casing of thecylinder, and which is formed with a recess r in its periphery adaptedto establish communication between said passages when properly broughtinto register therewith by a movement of the valve. The peripheralrecess r in the valve serves also to establish communication at theproper time between the passage da, leading to the outer end of thecylinder, and a recess r3 in the inner periphery of the valve-seat orcasing, communicating either with a radial exhaust-port r4 in saidcasing or, if preferred, with a recess r2, formed longitudinally in thevalve to open outwardly at either end thereof, and which, by reason ofthe elasticity ofl its thin outer concentric wall, as shown in Fig. l,will allow the valve to be fitted more closely in its seat. Theseseveral passages and recesses in the casing, the valve-seat, and valveare so placed and arranged in 'relation to each other as that so soon asby a movement of the valve communication is cut off through the valvebetween the passages d2 and d3 communication will be established betweenthe'passage d3 and the exhaust-port in the valve, and vice versa.

The rocking of the valve R` is effected at the proper moment and inproper synchronism with the movements of, the piston by means of aneccentric S on the main shaft coupled to a rock-arm R on the end of thevalve, as shown in Fig. 2.

The valve R and the eccentric S actuating it are so adjusted withreference to the piston D as that at the complete instroke of the pistonthe exhaust-port in the valve is in free communication with the outerend of the cylinder, and so remains until thepiston has completed itsoutstroke. S0 soon as this point is reached the communication betweenthe piston-cylinder and the exhaust is cut off by the movement of thevalve R, and communication is at once established through the passagesdz and da in the casing and the recess r in the valvel between thespaces on the two opposite sides of the piston.

While it is preferable to control the exhaust positively by means of thevalve' R, by

which the displacing-passages d2 and d3 are governed, as described, theexhaust-portmay -be controlled by an independent valve T, to

be either actuated by the movement of the piston or to be left free tooperate automatin cally, as s hown in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

In the operation of this improved motor, so

soon as the charge has exploded, it is allowed to expand fully and fillthe entire cylinder as the piston makes its complete outstroke, so thatits tension is reduced to atmospheric pressure. Upon the return-strokeof the piston the .exploded charge is displaced and `made to flow fromthe compression to the exhaust side of the piston through the passagesd2 d3, and is thereby so far cooled and condensed by contact withcooling-surfaces as that the reduction of its pressure is carried to thepoint at which a fresh charge will be ldrawn into the inner end of thecylinder through the inlet-valve, the valve opening automatically byreason of the superior pressure of the air and gas under it. So soon asthe piston has made the iirsthalf of its instroke the communicationbetween the opposite sides of the piston is cut off and the fresh chargein front of the piston is compressed into the conical recess orexplosion-chamber H in readiness for firing. The firing is effected atthe moment the instroke of the piston is completed by the movement ofthe valve L, which, by bringing the passage 0,

charged with burning gas, into communication with the cylinder at thatmoment, permits of an ignition of the charge. Hence at each outstrokeand instroke of the piston, producing a single revolution of theVcrank-shaft, the exploded charge, by propelling thepiston to itsextreme length of stroke outward, is expanded until its tension isreduced to about that of the atmosphere, and is then displaced to theopposite side of the piston by the return stroke, sol as to cool itwit-hout diminishing its volume, thereby so far reducing its pressure asto cause the inflow of a fresh vsupply of mingled air and gas at theinlet. At the half retu r11-stroke the waste charge of burned gas haspassed to the exhaust side of the piston and the communication between.the two sides is cut off, so that the furthermovement of the piston tothe end of its stroke compresses the fresh charge until` the stroke iscompleted and the charge exploded to repeat the'cycle.

I claim as my invention-- l. A gas-en gine having a singlepiston workingin a single cylinder provided at its outer end with an exhaust-vent andat its inner end with a supply-port for the admission of an explosivecharge, the middle of the' cylinder IOO IIO

and its outer or exhaust end being connected by communicating passagesgoverned by a valve moving in synchronism with the piston, whereby saidcommunicating passages are closed as the piston, impelled by theexplosion of the gaseous charge, makes its outstroke, and upon thereturn-stroke said pasthe compression side of the piston preparatory toan explosion at the end of said instroke, substantially in the mannerandfor the purpose herein set forth.

2. In a gas-engine, a single cylinder having passages establishingcommunication between the middle of its length and its outer end andrecesses in its inner periphery connecting with said passages, a valvecontrolling said communication and the communication between the outerend of the cylinder and an exhaust-vent, and apiston workin g in saidcylinder and actuating mediately said valve, substantially in the mannerand for the purpose herein set forth.

3. In a gas-engine, a single cylinder having an explosion-chamber at itsinner end and an exhaust-port at its outer end, a hollow eX- tendedpiston moving in the cylinder, a displacing-block at the outer end ofthe cylinder, upon which the piston is carried at the end of itsoutstroke, passages establishing communication between the middle of thecylinder and its outer end, and a Valve actuated mediately by themovement of the piston and controlling said` passages, substantially inthe manner and for the purpose herein set forth.

4. A gas-engine constructed, substantially as described, of a singlecylinder having an explosion-chamber at its inner end, an eX- haust-portat its outer end, and a passage establishing communication between themiddle of its length and said outer end, and which is provided with apiston moving therein over the ports into said passages, an inlet valvefor the charge, an igniting device connecting with thevexplosion-chamber, a crankshaft coupled to the piston, and valvesactuated thereby to control the igniting device, the exhaust-port, andthe communicating passage, all arranged and operating substantially asset forth, so that during one revolution of the shaft theexplodingcharge shall, after propelling the piston outwardly and therebyexpelling the previously-exploded charge through the exhaust, bedisplaced from one side of the piston to the other upon itsreturn-stroke, and thereby so expanded and cooled as to create anindraft for afresh explosive charge, which shall be compressed into theexplosion-chamber by the completion of said return-stroke.

In testimony whereof' I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

CARL W. WEISS.

Witnesses:

A. N. J ESBERA, E. M. WATSON.

